Forbidden Feelings
by fawny
Summary: “Two feelings clashed; loyalty to my Clanmates, and… the strange blaze of happiness Graystripe inspired in me. But there had never been a real battle. The moment I raised my head and looked into his hopeful eyes, I had my answer.” A GrayxSilver story!
1. Breaking the Ice

Hello there! I've actually challenged myself to write a whole chapter - and just a day after my second oneshot! Dang, I'm on a roll!

All right, so, this is a GrayxSilver story. It started out as a oneshot, but I decided to make it a real story, back and forth. I'm starting with Graystripe's POV; then I might do Silverstream's. IF I get enough reviews ;).

This chapter is on Graystripe and Silverstream's first meeting.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Warriors_ or any of the characters mentioned in the books. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Graystripe's POV:  
(Chapter 11 of _Fire and Ice_; page 127)

"Water vole," I muttered through gritted teeth to Fireheart. The bright orange warrior shot a worried glance at the tiny animal, as though he thought the ice might crack just by looking at it. He transferred his green gaze to our apprentices, stern stare lingering on Cinderpaw. Clearly he was afraid that the smoke-gray she-cat would impulsively try to go after the vole. I didn't blame him; Cinderpaw was full of energy, sparkling with enthusiasm in whatever she did. Sometimes I wished Brackenpaw could be more like his sister; the pale brown tomcat was always so serious and thoughtful.

But Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw would have to learn how to catch water voles sometime – and a demonstration from an experienced hunter would definitely help. So I streaked off onto the frozen sheet of ice; it seemed solid enough from my position on the bank, after all.

The moment my paws landed on the ice, I knew I wouldn't catch the animal. My claws were scraping noisily against the ice-coated river, and water voles were much more suited to scampering over water than I was. Plus, the ice might have looked solid from a few fox-lengths away, but it gave way to my weight at once. I screeched in shock as the ice smashed, sending me into the icy water.

For a heartbeat, all I could see was dark, nearly black water as I submerged into the river. _StarClan help me,_ I prayed desperately, _I can't breathe…_

Then I surfaced. I tried to paddle my way back to Fireheart and the apprentices, but the rapid currents of the frosty river swept me mercilessly along. I thrashed, letting out a yowl of alarm, but the others were too far away to hear. _Is this how it ends, drowning in another Clan's territory?_ I shut my eyes tightly in fear. _Oh, StarClan, if you're coming, please take me quickly._

Then I felt teeth on my scruff – and before I knew it, I was slicing through the water. Or, rather, being yanked through the wild waves while my rescuer sliced through the water.

At long last, I felt myself lying on the riverbank again. A wave of vertigo swept through me for a heartbeat, but it passed soon. Around me were several scents, muddled somewhat by the river water. I could still pick up the individual smells though – there was Fireheart, sitting close by, and Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw, who were picking their ways carefully towards us. I hoped they had learned caution from my display of proud stupidity.

And then there was another scent – RiverClan. I drew the scent in more sharply. She-cat, wet, and wary.

"Graystripe!" whispered Fireheart, sounding as though he thought I might be dead.

I coughed. "I'm okay."

From her scent, the RiverClan she-cat was becoming more hostile, now that she had ensured that I hadn't drowned. I turned my head towards her. A chill ran through my fur, one that had nothing to do with the nearly frozen water, as I took in her face. She was slim, slight-framed, with a sleek silver tabby pelt and shimmering blue eyes the color of the sky during greenleaf. And… I flushed, pelt crawling with embarrassment, she was kind of pretty. No, really pretty.

_Get a grip, Graystripe!_ I reminded myself sharply. _This is a RiverClan cat. Don't go mooning over her like some idiot. There are plenty of other she-cats, from _your_ Clan._ Still, I didn't want to ignore the silver tabby after she'd just saved my life, and I wanted to appease her growing antagonism, so I mewed cautiously, "Thanks."

"You idiot!" she snapped coldly, and I realized with a prickle of alarm that she had flattened her ears as though she were about to pounce. "What are you doing in my territory?"

_Keep her friendly, keep her friendly. Right._ "Drowning?" I replied wittily in an attempt to calm her down.

It worked. Her ears flicked back, and for a heartbeat I thought I saw reluctant mirth glimmering in the depths of her bright blue eyes. "Can't you drown yourself in your own territory?" she murmured.

Ah – I wasn't the only one with a sense of humor around here. She was funny – for a RiverClan cat. _Watch it, Graystripe! Don't go making friends with cats from enemy Clans,_ warned my conscience. But surely, the rest of me argued in response, surely I could at least be polite to my rescuer. Yes, and talking to her for a few heartbeats wouldn't hurt any cat. Besides, what was wrong with trying to be sociable? "Ah, but who would rescue me there?"

The she-cat blinked, as though she were taken aback. Her eyes searched mine probingly. I heard Cinderpaw's distinctive, hyper meow behind me and Fireheart's deeper, authoritative voice, but I didn't turn my head. _Couldn't_ turn my head. The silver cat's gaze bound me, holding me in place as though roots had sprung from the ground and trapped me. And it… it felt strangely… _good._

From what seemed like a far distance off I heard Fireheart say patiently, "Look, Graystripe, we've got to get out of here." His voice broke the pleasant, hypnotic feeling.

"I know," I replied, shaking my head to slice off the last strands of the trance and forcing myself up. _Snap out of it, Graystripe. She's just another RiverClan cat; in fact, you might have to meet her in battle someday._ I suddenly felt dizzy again and struggled to maintain my composure. "Thanks again," I mumbled to the pretty she-cat. Wait – _pretty?_

She nodded politely. "Hurry, go now! If my father knew that I'd rescued a ThunderClan intruder he'd shred me for kit bedding."

I saw an opening right there, and I dove for it at once. "Why'd you save me then?"

The RiverClan she-cat ducked her head avoiding my gaze. "Instinct. I couldn't watch any cat drown. Now – " I blinked at the sudden unfriendliness, " – go away!"

Fireheart saved me then, interrupting with his quiet, self-assured meow. I couldn't think of anything to say to her sudden, harsh dismissal, and was extremely relieved when he broke in. "Thanks. I'd have missed this furball if he'd drowned." He prodded me gently before mewing in alarm, "Come on, let's get back to camp. You're freezing!" I felt a surge of mild surprise as I realized that – I was pretty cold. Chilled to the bone, in fact. I had completely forgotten to shake the water off of my fur; not that it would have splashed off, though. Water seeped into my fur and didn't come out.

"Okay, I'm coming!" But I looked back at the silver tabby. The sight of her sky-blue eyes shining made me feel suddenly warm, despite the freezing water that was stubbornly sticking to my pelt. "What's your name? Mine's Graystripe."

The she-cat hesitated. This time, I held her gaze quite firmly, until she dipped her head and murmured, so softly I almost didn't catch it, "Silverstream."

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Remember to review so you get to read Silverstream's side of the story! ;]

R it's just a few centimeters below this sentence! Move your mouse down... slowly... that's it! Click that button! :] Submit a constructively critical, well-rounded review please! .. Or just review, I don't mind. Thank you! :)


	2. So We Meet Again

Hurrah! I love all you reviewers ;). Thanks to **Jellybean is me**, **Icestream**, **Emberheart0**, and **Ryuchie**. You guys rock!

Oh - thanks to Pebbleclaw's _Ultimate List of Warrior Names_ as well :). I got one of my queen's names from there! You rock for creating such an awesome list. :]]

A special shout-out to _**Twix ()**_. :D You rock Car-a-mel! ILY, Carmel Twix. c:

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Warriors_ by Erin Hunter or any characters used in the series. Wouldn't it be so cool if I did though?

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Silverstream's POV:

"Hey, Silverstream!"

I opened my eyes, ears pricked. _Silverstream,_ I thought with a surge of pride and satisfaction. As the moons stretched on and I remained as merely Silverpaw, I had begun to think that perhaps I would join the ranks of StarClan as an apprentice instead of a full warrior. But then Dewfrost's kits had wandered off. The dark gray queen had been distraught, wailing to Crookedstar about it until she made me glad that I wasn't RiverClan leader. I had admired my father's diplomacy and patience; he always dipped his head sympathetically and replied gently and reassuringly. Then he'd assigned several patrols to go track the kits down. I was part of Whiteclaw's group, along with Stonefur and Shadepaw.

We eventually found the kits drowning in the river. Heavykit and Wavekit were mewing helplessly, twisting and turning about. I dove in to save them at once, but they were so far away that I only ended up saving Heavykit (now Heavypaw) – Wavekit died within a few heartbeats. However, I was still made a warrior, thanks to, in Crookedstar's words, my "strong swimming skills."

It was Mistyfoot, standing at the entrance of the warriors' den. Her deep blue eyes shone warmly as she meowed, "Hunting patrol with Blackclaw. Would you like to come?"

"Sure." I pushed myself to my paws with a yawn. _What a great rest; I needed that after going without a meal this whole day._ "Where to?"

"The river," replied the blue-gray warrior.

I felt a strange tingle in my stomach at the word _river_ for some reason, but I pushed it away as we padded out of the den over to the entrance of the camp. Blackclaw and his apprentice Heavypaw were waiting for us.

"Mistyfoot, Silverstream," meowed Blackclaw, dipping his head courteously. I felt another quiver of delight. There was a new respect in the senior warrior's eyes, one that had not been there when my name had been Silverpaw. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" I bounded off, forgetting for a heartbeat that Mistyfoot was leading the patrol until she yowled, "Wait up!" I glanced apologetically back and stopped, waiting for the other cats.

"For StarClan's sake," muttered Blackclaw as he trotted forward, his politeness vanishing and infamous bad temper returning. "Where did this sudden burst of energy come from?"

To my surprise, I let out a happy little _mrrow_ of laughter. If Blackclaw had said that to me yesterday, I would have snapped back a retort and stalked off. Did a light mood come along with a spurt of speed?

Mistyfoot glanced at me, clearly as bewildered as I was, but she ignored my strange response. She only flicked her ears back and trotted forward faster.

As the others caught up at last, Heavypaw fell into step with me. "Hello, Silverstream," he mewed in a quavery, high-pitched voice.

"Hi, Heavypaw," I replied warily. Was Heavypaw angry with me because I hadn't managed to save his sister's life as well as his?

But to my relief, the light brown tabby tom's amber eyes were brimming with gratitude. "I never got to thank you for saving my life, did I? Well, thanks!"

"No problem," I purred, relieved. "I'm only sorry I didn't get to save Wavekit as well."

The apprentice dipped his head sorrowfully, eyes narrowing in grief. Wanting to leave him alone with his memories of his sister, I raced ahead to Mistyfoot. "Can we pick up the pace?"

The gray she-cat looked at me in surprise again. "Er, sure, but what's the rush?"

I flushed. How could I answer her question without knowing the answer myself? "Well, you know what my father says," I managed awkwardly at last, glad that Blackclaw was mewing quietly to his apprentice, presumably giving him a hunting lesson, "the early cat gets the mouse…"

Mistyfoot's whiskers twitched. "Crookedstar doesn't say that – but all right, we can speed up if you want." She turned to Blackclaw, calling, "Blackclaw, Heavypaw, pick up the pace." The black tom nodded and sped up, Heavypaw trailing after him.

We reached the river soon. Almost instantly my eyes slipped to the river and then Sunningrocks. I had a sudden urge to swim across and sun myself – _but that's ThunderClan territory!_ I reminded myself. _What's gotten into you, Silverstream?_

"I didn't scent any prey on the way here," mewed Mistyfoot, clearly surprised. Her perplexed voice broke into my reverie.

"Er – I didn't either," I mumbled. It was a lie, of course – well, not technically, but I hadn't been trying to scent anything. I had completely forgotten to, in fact.

The dark-gray warrior shrugged. "Oh well, there's probably prey here." She still sounded puzzled but stepped to the river and stared down into the dark depths. A few chunks of ice still floated in the water – I flinched as I remembered one of the ThunderClan cats' near-death in the river just a few days ago. At first I thought she was just staying still so the fish wouldn't see her, but as I turned to find some prey of my own, she called, "There's no fish down there!"

"_What?_" My disbelieving meow was echoed by Blackclaw as he stalked over. "You're kidding," the tom growled.

"Take a look yourself," murmured Mistyfoot, her clear blue gaze troubled.

Blackclaw spat into the river. "You're right! The fish have left! But – why?"

"Stonefur mentioned something like this to me," Mistyfoot meowed, clearly still in shock, "but I thought he was just joking. He said he saw the Twolegs here, putting long sticks in the water and catching all the fish." She stared into the distance.

"That's why we're low on food," I whispered. Because the fresh-kill pile had been unusually low for a while now, my father had ordered every warrior not to eat until the elders and queens were fed, and there was just barely enough to go around for them. It was all fitting together now.

Heavypaw's voice rang out behind us. "I caught something! I caught a squirrel!"

Blackclaw turned and faced him, but instead of congratulating his apprentice he snarled, "Mousebrain! You'll scare off all the remaining prey!"

"Sor-ry," came Heavypaw's sullen retort. "But you could at least say _good job_, or _well done, Heavypaw_."

Blackclaw hissed irritably. "Never mind, just go catch more prey."

"Can't smell anymore."

"_What?_" Blackclaw hissed again.

I turned and drew air over my scent glands. My eyes widened. "It's true – there's no more prey here!"

Mistyfoot let out a distressed _mrrow_ besides me. Blackclaw sniffed the air suspiciously only to snarl, "It _is_ true! All the prey has vanished!"

"Those rotten Twolegs have probably scared all the prey off!" I exclaimed, sinking my claws into the earth.

"Well, we might as well keep looking," meowed Mistyfoot reasonably, "we can't go back to Crookedstar with only one piece of fresh-kill."

"Which I caught," piped up Heavypaw.

"Go look for more," ordered Blackclaw, and he spun around, searching himself. I mirrored him – but try as we might, none of us could scent any more prey.

"We might as well go back," Mistyfoot sighed after a while. "This is useless. We can come back and try again later somewhere else, where maybe the prey hasn't been scared off."

"It's a pity ThunderClan had to bring WindClan back," jeered Blackclaw, glaring at Sunningrocks fiercely. "Otherwise we could have continued hunting on their territory – and we'd still have Whiteclaw." He spat again before stalking off, tip of his tail twitching. Heavypaw followed him with a bemused expression, evidently not realizing the grimness of the situation.

I flinched as I remembered that Whiteclaw had been killed by a ThunderClan cat – Graysomething. My eyes flew open just then. _Graystripe! That tom I saved the other day!_ I growled, hackles rising. _I saved the life of someone who murdered one of my Clanmates!_

Mistyfoot flashed me a curious glance but didn't inquire. She merely murmured, "Come on, we'd better get going."

"Wait!" I whispered as the aroma of a squirrel flooded into my nose. "I can smell a squirrel! You go on ahead; I'll bring back a squirrel for RiverClan to eat."

"All right then. Good luck," mewed my friend, licking my ear before trotting off after Blackclaw and Heavypaw.

I crept closer towards the smell. Now that I was closer, I could definitely scent the squirrel. But there was another scent… something I couldn't recognize…

And then my eyes popped open in shock and fury as suddenly the memory came flooding back into me. I snarled and took a wary step forward. "I know you're there, Graystripe. Come out _now_."

Nothing happened for a few heartbeats – then the leaves of a bush quivered and parted to reveal a muscular gray tom, holding a squirrel in his jaws. Graystripe. "I brought you this," he mewed in a small voice.

I glared at him. "What are you _doing_ here again? This is RiverClan territory, in case you haven't noticed."

"I'm not on your side of the river," he replied indignantly, "I'm still on ThunderClan territory. And I brought you a squirrel. You could at least thank me."

"Thank you for what? For doing something that's against the warrior code?" I stared suspiciously at him. "Why would you bring RiverClan a squirrel anyway?"

Graystripe just stood there, staring at his paws. I blinked at him, confused. And then it hit me – "You _eavesdropped_ on us?"

I was snarling at him so furiously I expected him to turn tail and flee. But his reaction surprised me, even stirring a reluctant prickle of respect in me. _Though that crowfood-eating murderer doesn't deserve respect from a fox!_ "Yes, I did," he meowed back calmly. "And I'm sorry about it, so I brought you some fresh-kill." He nudged the squirrel again.

I gaped at him for a few heartbeats, forcing my fur to lie flat. "That – that's very… considerate of you. But we don't need your food." Graystripe just stared at me skeptically, and the intensity of his amber gaze made me blurt out at last, "Okay, maybe we do. But I don't need it from you," I spat as I remembered what he had done. "You killed Whiteclaw!"

The dubiousness in his eyes suddenly turned into sadness and pain. I stared at him in astonishment and guilt as he began to quake violently. "I killed him," he whispered, and then let out an agonized yowl, "I killed him!"

To my utter surprise, I instinctively leapt into the water and swam across to the ThunderClan border. Splashing the icy water off my coat, I impulsively pushed my nose into the shaking tomcat's fur, comforting him like I had Whiteclaw's younger sister Shadepaw after she learned of his death. "It's okay," I whispered, "it's okay…"

It was a full minute before he stopped shuddering, though he was still shivering slightly. He looked at me with shimmering eyes, and though traces of misery still lingered his tawny gaze blazed with warmth and gratefulness. "Thank you," he said simply.

I stared back at him, unable to look away. "You're welcome."

We stood there silently for a moment before I finally stepped awkwardly back, not knowing what to say next. _What have I done? Comforting a ThunderClan cat – and trespassing onto another Clan's territory! What's wrong with me?_

But Graystripe did; apparently, he always knew what to say. "Here, take this," he meowed again, pushing the squirrel over to me. I stared at it longingly; it was plump and big… but it was another Clan's prey. However, as though he knew what doubts were running across my mind, Graystripe murmured, "It's fine. My Clan is well-fed; your Clan needs it."

I hesitated for another heartbeat before concern for my Clanmates finally kicked aside the warrior code. "Er, thanks… Graystripe." He nodded, seeming embarrassed. I looked into his fluffy gray face and realized – "You're sick!"

"From the near-drowning experience, I expect," he purred. "By the way, thanks again for saving me."

"You're quite welcome. Now why don't you get back to camp?" I mewed. "You need your medicine cat to look after you."

"Ah, concerned about me now, are you?" he teased.

"Nah, I'm only worried you'll transfer it to me!" Just his amused purr of laughter was enough to make me, strangely, want to stay behind and talk with him. I didn't know how I managed to force myself to delicately carry the squirrel between my teeth, turn my back on him, and pick my way over to the stepping stones.

When I made it safely back onto RiverClan territory, Graystripe called to me again, sounding serious this time. "Silverstream, wait."

"What?" I turned carefully so as not to worry the fresh-kill and looked at his paws, avoiding his eyes; looking into them was like looking into the sun during sunhigh.

"Will you meet me here again… tomorrow?"

My heart thudded against my chest with such a loud, thumping rhythm I half expected a ShadowClan hunting patrol to hear it. I gently lay the squirrel down. Two feelings clashed; loyalty to my Clanmates, and… the strange blaze of happiness Graystripe inspired in me.

But there had never been a real battle. The moment I raised my head and looked into his hopeful eyes, I had my answer.

"Yes, I will."

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Doesn't it kind of creep you out that Blackclaw was Heavystep's mentor according to the _Fire and Ice_ and _Forest of Secrets_ - and he's still alive? I mean, Heavystep has been Elder-ized, dead, and resurrected by now. Yet Blackclaw is still alive and very healthy. Kinda odd...

Oh well, maybe I'm just being paranoid. As usual, review please :]. Next chapter should be coming later in the week, maybe on Friday or Saturday. Never fear though - I'll be posting a sneak peek of all my next chapters on my profile from now on!


	3. Fall For You

Sorry this chapter took so long to upload - and the preview ._. But never fear. I finally have a week off next week, and I will be INTENSIVELY writing. Expect this story to be finished before long! And a new one - my special, original story, set in the future - will be started... teehee xD.

The romance starts in this chapter. It keeps gettin' better (ahah, love that song) throughout the story. Eeh. And the title, _Fall For You_, is, well, snagged from the title of the song _Fall For You_, by Secondhand Serenade. Such a pretty song! :)

Thank you reviewers: **Emberheart0**, **Featheredwing**, and **Ryuchie**. :] And especially to _**Twix**_ - you pwn the most! Hahah x]].

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Warriors_ or any of the characters from the book; Erin Hunter does. Lucky woman (or women, lol)! No copyright infringement is intended.

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Graystripe's POV:

As I waited on the ThunderClan side of the river, I felt a twinge of guilt rush through me. This wasn't right, sneaking out of the camp like this. And it was definitely against the warrior code, catching another Clan prey. But they _needed_ that food – I had heard the conversation between Silverstream and her Clanmates with my own ears. They needed ThunderClan's prey. We weren't starving yet – Twolegs weren't scaring _our_ prey off. Surely the code wouldn't forbid helping out another Clan if they needed it.

But as I raised my head to gaze at the RiverClan border, I knew that I wasn't standing here sniffling and coughing because of concern towards another Clan. I stared at my paws; a flood of hot shame prickled my storm-gray fur. I shook myself and glanced at the nearest thing to me. A mouse lay on my right. It was scrawny and thin, a sign that leaf-fall was beginning give way into leaf-bare. The breezes were beginning to grow ever colder, chilling my fur sharply. I bristled to keep my body warm and gazed at the mouse in worry. Its body, still warm and fresh, would soon grow cold. Where was she?

I stared at the dark river idly, an involuntary tremor shaking itself through my body. I remembered the feeling of falling through the ice, of nearly drowning… The ice had broken up by now, though. A few stray catkins floated gently in the swiveling ripples of the river, no doubt fallen from the weeping willow on the RiverClan side.

The sound of paws thudding over the ground drew my attention. A deep purr rose in my throat as I looked up. "Silverstream! You came!"

"Of course I came, mousebrain." The beautiful silver she-cat gazed at me with unreadable blue eyes as she skidded to a stop. There was something lurking in her eyes, something that I couldn't identify. "I told you I would, and I did. I always keep my promises."

"Excellent," I replied, ignoring her brusqueness and prodding the limp body beside me. "Here's your reward."

Silverstream stared at it, and the hunger in her eyes was apparent. Then she shook her head, though the movement was stiff, almost pained. "It's ThunderClan prey," she meowed slowly. "I – I shouldn't…"

I rolled onto my back and massaged my stomach with my paws. "My stomach hurts," I moaned. "I think I ate too much. Oh well, if you don't want this…" I shrugged, and poked the mouse. "Well, I guess I'll throw it into the river."

"No!" yowled Silverstream before she flicked her tail over her mouth, looking shocked and embarrassed.

_Gotcha._ "No? So you want this?" I looked at her lazily, holding the gaze this time.

Silverstream hesitated. I could see her hunger battling with her honor. At last, she stepped to the edge of the riverbank and hesitated before launching herself into the river, propelling herself strongly with her paws over to me. She pulled herself up next to me and shook the water from her silver pelt. I admired the sheen of her tabby fur as she padded closer. The RiverClan warrior glanced at me warily before turning her gleaming blue eyes to the mouse. In an instant it had vanished into her mouth.

"Hungry, eh?" I teased. Silverstream swiped a delicate pink tongue over sharp white teeth and ignored me. "It's not polite to ignore cats after they just fed you."

The she-cat fixed me with a piercing look. "I didn't ask you to feed me, did I?" she mewed frostily. "But because you did feed me…" she let out an exasperated sigh. "Thank you, Graystripe."

I drowned in her gaze as usual, but this time I didn't look away. At last Silverstream blinked. "Well," she murmured, "thanks again."

"Would you like me to catch another piece of fresh-kill for you to take back to your Clan?" I offered rashly. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I nearly regretted my hasty words. If Bluestar found out, she would exile me from ThunderClan. I could imagine her furious words already: "_Catching prey for another Clan? For an enemy Clan? Have you no loyalty, Graystripe? You must hunt for your Clan first! How dare you disobey the warrior code! Now go – get out of this camp! You are no longer a member of ThunderClan, and if any cat sees you here after sunrise tomorrow, they have my permission to kill you._" Tigerclaw would be worse; I winced as I imagined the fearsome deputy's reaction to what he would call my "treachery." He might even be angry enough to attack me with the sharp claws that had given him his name.

But that didn't mean it wasn't worth it. The shocked gratitude in Silverstream's eyes was enough to make me purr like a little kit. "Would you really?" she whispered.

I nodded. "Of course. RiverClan is starving. I – four Clans have always lived in this forest. There must continue to be four Clans here. I won't let your Clanmates starve."

Silverstream gazed at me gratefully. "Thank you," she purred, shocking me as she padded over and licked my ear.

I suddenly felt happiness tingle from my ears to my paws. I could hardly tear my gaze away from her. She was so beautiful. But I knew that I had to catch some prey for her now; I couldn't put it off any longer. Fireheart had already started asking questions about where I had gone yesterday. So with another look at the she-cat, I dashed off. My senses were more alert than ever, in my haste to get back to Silverstream.

In no time at all, I picked up the scent of a vole. I crept up slowly and carefully on it. Was Silverstream still watching? If she was, well, I had to catch this vole. Otherwise I would look like a complete, utter mousebrain.

The vole picked up on my scent a heartbeat before I sprang. But it was too late; my extended claws trapped it. I bit its throat swiftly before it could escape and embarrass me in front of Silverstream.

As I carried the fresh-kill back to the border, the silver tabby was gazing into the distance, ears pricked. She blinked and glanced at me as I set the prey down. "For you – and your Clan, I mean," I meowed solemnly.

"Thank you," she replied simply.

I looked at Silverstream, admiring her slender body. She really was a very slim cat, as lithe and graceful as the willow tree by the river. Then, as I gazed closer, I realized that she wasn't just naturally willowy – she was scrawny, almost underfed.

A shiver of unease ruffled my fur. Was the rest of RiverClan this undernourished? "Would you like me to catch more fresh-kill? If your Clan needs it, well, I'm sure ThunderClan can spare a few mice."

Silverstream shook her head, to my faint relief. "My Clan might get suspicious if I come back with so much fresh-kill." Silverstream glanced at me and then at the vole. "I must go now, Graystripe. Your scent might linger on me – on the prey."

"Wait," I mewed quickly. She stopped and tilted her head. "Is this why Crookedstar wanted to hunt on WindClan territory?"

For a few heartbeats, the RiverClan cat was silent. At last she gazed steadily back at me. "Crookedstar is my father. And yes, because the Twolegs have scared off our prey, RiverClan needs WindClan's hunting grounds."

"Still?"

"Yes," she murmured. A remote look drifted into her bright blue eyes. "The kits of our Clan are crying. They haven't enough food. Yesterday, Nettlekit died from lack of food."

I stared at her, aghast. "But that's horrible! Surely the Twolegs can't have spread _everywhere_ in your hunting grounds?"

Silverstream nodded grimly. "They have. Twolegs take over everything, Graystripe. My Clan has been forced to watch and hide in the shadows as the Twolegs catch the fish and make enough noise to carry to WindClan." Frustration and sorrow glowed bitterly in her eyes as she spoke.

I stared at my paws, eyes burning with anger. This wasn't fair. How dare the Twolegs come in and ruin everything for RiverClan? _Oh, StarClan, I wish I could help!_

And then a solution burst into my mind. However, I hesitated before voicing it. _Think carefully, Graystripe. Bluestar will be furious if she finds out, and Tigerclaw _will_ rip you to shreds._ I shuddered as I imagined those long, dangerous claws slashing through my fur furiously.

But I had to help. I knew exactly how Silverstream must feel; tired, weakened from hunger, outraged that the Twolegs were scaring off the prey. I knew she was probably even a tiny bit resentful that she had to resort to taking prey from another Clan to feed hers, despite the fact that it was the only way to survive. _I can't ignore these emotions. I have to help them._ And so there was no uncertainty in my tone as I meowed, "If you want, I could meet you here everyday to leave you some prey."

Silverstream stared at me in astonishment. "I – I don't think things are quite that bad just yet," she said at last. I felt disappointment rock through my body. This time I knew exactly why I felt regret, and though I tried to weakly deny it, I knew it was true: I wanted to see Silverstream again. I didn't know why; after all, I had just met her a few sunrises ago. But there was something about her, something that made me desire to curl up next to her and never leave her side. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know why I felt it. But one thing was for sure: I had never felt this strongly about any cat before. And now that Silverstream had rejected my offer, I was likely never to experience the feeling again.

Struggling to hide my dejection, I picked up the vole and passed it to her. A shudder rippled through her lovely dappled pelt as she took the prey from my jaws. She gazed into my eyes again before turning and padding away, towards the stepping stones. I watched her leave and turned.

I had just begun head home to the ThunderClan camp, head hanging and tail dragging in the dirt, when Silverstream murmured my name. To my surprise, she was standing next to me again instead of making her way carefully over the stepping stones. "Graystripe, will you… will you be here tomorrow?"

"Of course," I replied, looking at her in astonishment. Hope began to lift my weary spirits again. Perhaps she had changed her mind about the fresh-kill and wanted me to bring some for her.

The beautiful she-cat looked straight into my eyes. "I'll be waiting, then."

A gush of excitement zipped down my spine. "Great! I'll pick up some fresh-kill for RiverCl – "

"I don't need you to do that," interrupted Silverstream. She looked down at her paws as she said shyly, "I just want to talk to you this time." In an even quieter mew, "I really like you, Graystripe. I've never felt this way before about any cat. Even though we've just met, and we're from different Clans… I want to see you again." She still hadn't looked up.

Purring hoarsely, I licked the top of her head affectionately. "I like you too, Silverstream." She raised her head then, meeting my gaze in shock. "I know I'm from ThunderClan, and you're from RiverClan, but… there's something about you. I think…" I blinked, afraid that she would laugh; or worse, reject me, "… I think… I'm starting to fall in love with you."

But she surprised me. Instead of laughing at me and swimming away back to her Clan, Silverstream touched my nose with her hers. "I think I'm starting to fall for you too," she whispered.

We stood there, her soft pink nose pressed against mine, for a few heartbeats. I wished the moment could never end – but it did when at last Silverstream broke away. "I must go," she whispered. "If I stay any longer, my Clanmates will get suspicious. Thank you for the vole." She ran her tongue over my ear tenderly before picking up the fresh-kill and padding back to the stepping stones, treading carefully over each one.

"See you again tomorrow?" I called when she had returned to RiverClan territory.

Silverstream looked at me again, and I felt comfortably warm inside as I recognized the love in her eyes. "Yes," she murmured, just loud enough for me to hear from the opposite side of the river. Then she turned and streaked off, tail lifted proudly in the air. I watched Silverstream until her slight, silvery-gray shape had disappeared into the shadows. Then I set off home.

My head was still buzzing so hard with thoughts about Silverstream that, as the back of the nursery came into sight, I nearly forgot about my scent. _I've been mingling with a RiverClan cat! I have to wash myself._ Stopping quickly, I began to give myself a furious washing. Silverstream hadn't just left her scent on me. She had picked up a few catkins, it seemed; probably from swimming across the river. And now they were on me. Catkins were prickly, sticky things; hard to get off. They were small, but they clung to your fur like burrs. My tongue didn't stop rasping until I was satisfied that I smelled perfectly normal, as though I wasn't up to anything at all. As for the catkins… I had gotten all but one of them off. That one was refusing to drop, sticking to my fur as obstinately as a flea. I sighed. It was buried deep enough into my thick coat that I was sure no cat would notice. I would get it off later. But I had to return now, or Bluestar and Tigerclaw would notice my absence for sure.

As I slipped back into camp, I noticed Tigerclaw eyeing me suspiciously. _Has he noticed that I've been gone?_ I headed for the fresh-kill pile and quickly picked out the first piece of prey my paws came into contact with: a plump wood mouse. I picked at it instead of gobbling it down as I usually would have, however. I could still taste Silverstream's scent, see the glow in her radiant eyes, hear her soothing purr…

A chaffinch dropped beside me. I looked up and saw Fireheart; my best friend settled down next to me. Some dust flew up into the air as the chaffinch landed and I sneezed.

"Cold no better?" Fireheart's eyes were full of sympathy as he shifted away slightly to avoid being sprayed by my sneeze.

It occurred to me that Tigerclaw might still be watching. I hastily swallowed some of the wood mouse, as I usually would have done. "Nope. I guess I'll have to stay in camp awhile longer."

Fireheart's eyes narrowed slightly, but he continued calmly. "Brackenpaw did really well in his assessment today."

I swallowed more of the mouse. "Really?" _I wonder if Silverstream has an apprentice too._ "That's good."

"Yeah," mewed the ginger warrior after a heartbeat. His eyes had narrowed just a tiny bit more. "He's turning into a great hunter."

I didn't respond, filling my mouth with mouse as an excuse not to talk. But my head was filled with more Silverstream. The shimmer of her fur when a ray of sunlight stroked it, her sweet fragrance…

"Graystripe, have you been out of the camp the past few days?" The question caught me off-guard, and I stared at Fireheart in dismay. _He hasn't caught on, has he?_

"Why do you ask?" I stalled, deflecting the question.

The tip of the orange tom's tail twitched. "Well," he meowed slowly, "you weren't here when I got in from last night's patrol, and Tigerclaw said he hadn't seen you since sunhigh today."

I could tell that Tigerclaw already suspected I was up to something. _Oh no! What if Fireheart told him that I wasn't here last night?_ "Tigerclaw?"

Fireheart gazed at me in concern. "I told him you were probably out looking for peace and quiet, or that you might be with Yellowfang." I could tell he was burning to ask more questions, but he settled for one: "Were you?"

The moment I heard the excuse my friend had made for me, I relaxed. "Well, thanks for covering for me," I meowed appreciatively, ignoring the other question. Fireheart didn't say anything else, though I noticed that his tail was twitching slightly. He wanted to know more.

I felt a gaze scorch into my back. Without looking I knew it was Tigerclaw's pale, amber glare. "I'm going to go sleep now," I meowed loudly.

"Okay," Fireheart replied after a brief pause. "I think I'll stay here… a bit longer." I nodded and trotted to the warriors' den, where the thick bramble walls would protect me from the deputy's mistrustful eyes.

As I lay down in my soft mossy nest and closed my eyes, the last image in my mind was of an exquisite, elegant silver she-cat, with sparkling sky-blue eyes and a voice as smooth and soothing as honey. I let out a purr, glad that no other warrior was inside the den, and a word rose unbidden from my throat: "Silverstream…"

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:). I made this chapter longer to make up for my slowness. Hope you guys enjoyed it! As usual, R&R :]].

Next chapter - coming VERY soon!


	4. Doubts

True to my word, I've written another chapter of this story in one day :). Surprisingly, too. Usually I'm very lazy and unreliable.. well, oh well. It must remain one of the mysteries of the world right now (like the question of how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie pop!), because I'm too lazy to figure it out. Heyy, wait a minute, maybe it's NOT such a mystery after all...

Oh yes. I do recall mentioning something about the romance getting better every chapter. Well, unfortunately, there's not much in this one. It's just Silverstream fretting over Graystripe. Kind of a filler, but it's necessary. I mean, I doubt that GrayxSilver was totally perfect; without throwing in some doubt, it's too Mary-Sueish... -ducks as arrow sails over head- And h-hey; it's pretty long. That should satisfy all you readers who are angry with me for not upping the romance!

Thanks to my reviewers. You've all reviewed before, and I'm too lazy to write your names, so yeah. I'll just say a quick thank-you before getting on with the story, as I'm supposed to: Thank you!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Warriors_ or the characters in the books. Erin Hunter does. Therefore, no copyright infringement is intended.

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Silverstream's POV:

The wind howled loudly in my ears, smacking my cheeks and nearly yanking my whiskers off of my face. The sky was a deep crimson, tinged with a few splatters of gray. Leaf-bare was coming, and no sane cat would be outside before dawn, standing in the harsh weather.

Love is a capricious, inexplicable emotion. It does strange things to you, twisting your mind and messing with your other emotions. It even distorts your sanity.

So because of my love for Graystripe, I found myself standing outside in the chilly air without even puffing my fur out to repel the invisible needles of frigidity. Insane, all right.

"Silverstream!" called a voice in the distance. A heartbeat later, Mistyfoot appeared beside me, staring at me in shock. "Silverstream, what are you _doing_ here? Why are you outside?" Without even bothering to wait for my response, she slapped her tail across my flank. "Crookedstar wants to talk to you in his den. Come _now_."

Her furious, scolding tone was maternal, in a way. She reminded me of a queen herding her kits back into the nursery. I gazed at her in mild surprise. Mistyfoot had never shown any motherly instincts before, so why should she start now?

Momentarily forgetting about Graystripe, I sniffed the air. Yes – my best friend's scent had changed. Just one look at her slightly swollen belly confirmed my theory, that Mistyfoot was expecting kits, though I didn't know who the father was. After all, now that RiverClan was short on food, none of the warriors ate anything. If a female warrior's stomach started increasing, she was obviously pregnant. If a male's did… I shook my head to clear my mind of the disturbing thought.

Crookedstar was waiting for us outside his private den. "Thank you, Mistyfoot," he meowed. "Will you be moving into the nursery today?"

"I was just about to arrange a nest for myself," purred the blue she-cat. She licked my ear affectionately. "See you, Silverstream."

A sudden pang of sorrow stabbed me in the side as I realized that Mistyfoot would no longer be by my side in the warriors' den. I would be all alone in the corner. Swallowing to hide my gloom, I touched noses with her. "Goodbye, Mistyfoot." With a respectful nod to Crookedstar, the warrior-turned-queen bounded off.

"Good morning, Silverstream," meowed my father, greeting me with a flick of his pale tail. "Come inside."

As we stepped inside, a sense of warmth and coziness tingled over my body, not unlike the feeling of comfort I experienced when I was around Graystripe. I hadn't been here since my apprentice days; and due to recent events, those days seemed like seasons ago. I remembered what my mother Willowfrost had told me about the leader's den when I was a kit: "_Many seasons ago, before the Clans even settled in this forest, the river flowed and stretched endlessly. It was much bigger than the small river we swim in today. Otters lived there. Your father's den was an otter nest, hollowed out by floods. One day, something happened to the otters, something that made them leave the camp so that, a season later, Riverstar, the first leader of RiverClan, could claim the camp for RiverClan. The otters left behind many things in their dens; cracked shells, a few dried water lilies and catkins, and feathers. This is why, today, we RiverClan warriors like to decorate our dens with colored pebbles, bird feathers, and shells._"

A deep meow interrupted my memory. "Silverstream," Crookedstar began, "I'm very proud of you. You are the only one of my warriors who has continuously managed to bring back prey for the queens." He gazed thoughtfully at me with his knowing, moss-green eyes, warm and understanding.

But for the first time, the kindness in my father's eyes didn't reassure me. Instead, I felt cold and slimy inside, as though I had just swallowed a lizard. A cold boulder dropped into my stomach, and I looked down at my paws in shame. _Graystripe caught that – not me! That's ThunderClan prey! I've broken the warrior code, and my father is complimenting me about it!_

"I know your mother would be proud of you," continued the pale orange tom. I didn't respond; his words had struck another chord of mortification in me, and I felt simply awful. I wanted to beg him to stop, but my plea would lead to questions. Questions that were better left unanswered and in the dark.

"Do you miss her?" I looked up at the unexpected question. Probing, grass-colored eyes were gazing back at me. "Your mother, I mean. Willowfrost. Growing up without her can't have been easy for you. Losing her was bad enough for me," here he swallowed, as though he were fighting back the pain, "but… to have been without a mother throughout the apprentice stage of your life must have been worse. I was too busy to comfort you, and you had no other kin."

Closing my eyes, I thought about the question. _Do I miss Willowfrost?_ It was an easy one to answer: Yes, of course. But just by looking into his tortured, anguished gaze, I could tell that he had probably suffered more than I had. After all, he had been on that patrol with my mother when a badger attacked. I hadn't. Sure, I had mourned for her and wished she hadn't died, but I hadn't blamed myself for her death. Crookedstar clearly had.

I did miss her though. A lot. "Yes, of course I do. Losing your mother is a painful blow for any cat, not just an apprentice. But you were still there for me, supporting me. And I had Mistyfoot as a comfort as well. She was a good friend, and you were a good father. Even without a mother, that's plenty more than necessary right there."

"Thank you," meowed Crookedstar, eyes softening. A thought popped to mind; _I've been thanking and thanked a lot lately,_ as he continued, "You're a good daughter, Silverstream, and a credit to the Clan. I'm proud to call you my kin."

_No, I'm not!_ I longed to confide in Crookedstar about my feelings for a cat from another Clan, but I knew I couldn't. I could never confide in him. Try as he might, he would never understand, and even if he got over his fatherly protectiveness, he would never be able to get past his duties as a leader. So I merely dipped my head in thanks.

"Now, anyway," my father mewed more briskly, straightening up, "back to business. Are you up for a dawn patrol by the river?"

"The… river?" I felt an ominous chill at those two words.

The older cat nodded, surprise gleaming in his eyes. "Is there a problem? Would you like to stay behind?"

"N-no," I stammered. "I'll go."

"Good." Crookedstar gave a quick nod. "Go gather two other cats and we'll be off." He flicked his ears and sat down, a clear dismissal.

I padded outside and stood there in the chilliness for a heartbeat. My father was proud of me, calling me a credit to the Clan. He had no idea what I was doing, _how_ I got the prey. He… he had no idea. My paws began to buckle as I closed my eyes. I couldn't confide in him either. It was unfair to pin the weight onto Mistyfoot; she was expecting kits, for StarClan's sake. I couldn't tell any of the other cats; they wouldn't understand. They would just call me a traitor, a heap of foxdung. Then they would attack me and – and my own father would exile me from my Clan. All for Graystripe.

_I have to wonder – is he really worth it?_ I was shocked when a little voice inside me spoke up boldly, questioning my betrayal of the warrior code. _After all, he's just another ThunderClan cat. You could find another tom easily; Loudbelly has been padding after you for a while now. He may not be the handsomest cat around, but he would make a decent mate. At least there wouldn't be any gossip among the elders because of _him.

I considered it. Did Graystripe really amount to that much? Enough to make me turn my back on the warrior code? Enough to go behind the backs of my Clanmates? Enough to betray the trust of Mistyfoot? Of my father?

"Silverstream?" I spun around, startled, to see Crookedstar standing at the entrance of his den, gazing at me in bewilderment. "Are you all right? Have you chosen the warriors yet?"

"I – no, Crookedstar," I stammered, "I'll get on with it right away…" Before he could reply I slunk off into the warriors' den.

There wasn't really much choice left; the only warriors we had now that Mistyfoot had become a queen were Loudbelly, Blackclaw, and Stonefur. Leopardfur was out hunting.

It was less awkward to be around Stonefur than Loudbelly, so I stepped lightly to him and tapped his shoulder with my tail. "Stonefur, wake up."

The gray tom stretched his jaws out in yawn as he opened his ice blue eyes. As usual, I marveled at the similarities he and Mistyfoot harbored. "Sil – Silverstream?" he murmured sleepily. "Wuzzgoin' on?"

"Dawn patrol," I replied tersely. "Hurry along now; Crookedstar is waiting outside." The blue-gray warrior nodded and washed himself hurriedly before springing outside. I turned to Blackclaw and nudged him with my paw. "Wake up, please."

"What?" the dark warrior snapped, fur bristling angrily. He was clearly irritated about having to wake up. But then, he usually was annoyed about something or another.

"You're on dawn patrol," I replied evenly. Blackclaw could be rude and impatient, but I knew he wouldn't defy the wishes of his leader. "Come along now; Stonefur and Crookedstar are coming with us. Go wake up Heavypaw."

The black cat snorted, rolling his eyes. "Why can't Mistyfoot or Loudbelly do it?" he complained.

"Mistyfoot's expecting kits," explained Stonefur as he poked his head back inside.

"Oh, just great!" muttered Blackclaw mutinously. "Well, she can't be that pregnant. Whiteclaw didn't die so long ago."

I gaped at him, shocked. "Wh-Whiteclaw was the father?"

Staring at me incredulously, Blackclaw opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver a stinging response. But Stonefur interrupted. "Yeah. He always was padding after my sister, always watching her and following her around. Of course he didn't deserve such a wonderful mate, but then, I never did fully understand Mistyfoot. I can't even imagine how she felt after he died; and she'd just learned that she was expecting his kits. She never even got a chance to tell him. I swear," he drew his teeth back in a snarl, "if I ever catch that fox-hearted ThunderClan crowfood-eater who killed Whiteclaw, I will _rip him to shreds._"

I stared at Stonefur in dismay. _Great – another RiverClan cat who hates Graystripe. One less to confide in._

"Why are you dawdling inside?" An impatient meow broke into our conversation as Crookedstar padded in. "There's no time to spend time gossiping around. We have to go now!"

"I'm sorry, Father," I cut in quickly. "We'll be right there, after Blackclaw calls his apprentice."

The light tom hesitated. Then he nodded and went back outside.

Blackclaw had finished grooming himself and stalked outside, still clearly peeved that he and not Loudbelly had to wake up early to patrol the borders. Stonefur's eyes were still smoldering with fury, but he managed to let it go, tail lashing side to side as he padded out. I followed him numbly, mind still buzzing with shock at the fact that Whiteclaw had fathered Mistyfoot's kits.

If Stonefur hated Graystripe so much just because Whiteclaw's death had devastated his sister, how would Mistyfoot have taken it? Would she turn on Graystripe with fangs sharp and claws unsheathed? And when she found out that I was seeing the killer of her mate, would she turn on _me_ like that? A shiver ran itself through my fur and I forced myself to hold my head up high as though nothing was wrong. _Nothing. Right…_

"You took your time," observed Crookedstar as we emerged.

Stonefur bowed his head respectfully. "Sorry," he replied. I noticed my father's eyes raking over his long gray fur, as though he was sizing him up.

At last, Blackclaw emerged with Heavypaw. The light tabby tom looked disgruntled. "It's not fair," he complained, wriggling around in the cold. "Why do I have to come? Why can't it just be Blackclaw? Then I could be in my nest, catching up on my sleep!"

A reluctant purr of amusement forced itself out of me. It seemed Heavypaw was taking after his mentor. Blackclaw wasn't even glaring at his apprentice; he was gazing at him with approval. I stifled my laughter and looked away.

"Well then," mewed Crookedstar calmly, ignoring Heavypaw, "let's go."

We bounded off at once, swimming through the stream of water that made our camp an island. Heavypaw's eyelids were half-shut, and he kept silent, to my relief. Blackclaw didn't say much, just glowered at everything around him.

"You know, I haven't scented any prey," murmured Stonefur, coming up on my left and keeping pace with me. He sounded worried. _He and his sister really are alike!_

I chuckled hollowly. "Mistyfoot said the same two sunrises ago."

He let out a purr of amusement. "Mmm – well, I suppose it's only to be suspected. We are siblings, after all."

I didn't say anything after that. Stonefur kept silent, padding at my flank.

At last we reached the borders. Crookedstar gazed at Sunningrocks with a sigh; I remembered what my mother had told me. "_Your father bumped his jaw roughly on one of the boulders when he was a kit. That's how he earned his name, Crookedjaw. He had to work very hard in order to become the RiverClan leader – everyone thought his twisted jaw would get in the way and be his weakness._" I had sensed the pride in her mew and knew that she was proud that such a hardworking, devoted warrior was her mate. Now, as I watched him stare at Sunningrocks, I felt proud as well, that he was my father.

And then suddenly, shame raced through my spine as I remembered how I was tricking him. I flinched and stared at the ground. I didn't deserve such a wonderful father, or the unwavering loyalty of my Clanmates. Was I really doing the right thing, sidling off to be with Graystripe?

"Don't just stand there!" I jumped as Blackclaw's grumpy meow rang in my ears. "Help us set the scent markers." I obediently crossed to an unmarked section of the border and set a marker, but I couldn't forget the shame this time. It stayed with me even as we headed home.

"Welcome back," greeted Leopardfur as we returned. "Did you scent any prey?"

"No," growled Crookedstar fiercely. "Not even a whiff. You're back early, so I take it you didn't either?"

The golden tabby sank her claws into the soft soil beneath her paws. "No. Nothing. We'll have to rely on Silverstream and her mysterious hunting skills, I suppose."

Purring, my father gazed at me proudly. I couldn't bear to see the delight in his eyes, so I meowed abruptly, "I'm going to catch up on my sleep, if that's all right. I'm… I'm tired after a day of no fresh-kill."

"Of course," replied Crookedstar, voice soft with compassion. It was more than I could take. I dipped my head hastily and spun around back into the den. Thankfully the other warriors had all woken up. I was free to sleep in peace.

But I couldn't. I couldn't shake off the doubts that kept prickling at my paws, making me nervous and fearful and ashamed. Just this morning I had been so happy, so dazed with delight. I tried to recall the feelings of exhilaration, but they were gone. I let out a hiss and moaned. _StarClan, _help _me. I don't know what to do! Should I see Graystripe or should I just stop visiting him? I'm going to lose what's left of my sanity if I don't get some help!_

A new thought picked at me, and I felt a little more reassured at once. _Perhaps if I sleep, StarClan will tell me what to do._ So at once I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep, hoping desperately that one of my starry ancestors would give me advice.

StarClan didn't keep me waiting for long. As soon as blackness swirled around me, I opened my eyes. I was not in the den anymore; instead, I was in the RiverClan nursery. I sat up and blinked. Why was I here?

A soft pink tongue came into view, licking me on the head. "Sleep, Silverstream."

I gasped as a familiar scent came flooding into my nostrils, one that I hadn't smelled for many moons now. "M-Mother?"

A silvery-gray head burst into view. "Hello, my lovely."

"Willowfrost!" I thrust my head forward to touch noses with her. "I haven't seen you for so long. What's it like up in StarClan?"

Willowfrost's deep purr rumbled. "Never mind that, Silverstream. You'll find out when it's your time. Just listen for now." Disappointed, I nodded, hoping that my mother had good advice about what to do. I still wanted to know what StarClan was like, though, so I was forewarned when I died. _Unless,_ whispered a nasty voice, _unless you're so disloyal that StarClan won't accept you when you die._ But that couldn't be right – if StarClan didn't approve of what I was doing, they wouldn't have sent my mother to me. _Right?_

But when she spoke, it was not about Graystripe. "You are a good cat, Silverstream. I know you have been pricked with doubt, but you mustn't let those worries ruin you or you will go mad. You _are_ a good cat – remember that."

"So it's okay for me to break the warrior code?"

Willowfrost did not reply; she merely licked my ear. "Just remember," she whispered, "to always follow your heart. Keep watch of where your affections fall, of course, but if it's too late to change something, follow your heart. Follow your instincts, Silverstream. Logic is a strategist's tool; claws and fangs are a warrior's weapons. But when it comes to love… follow your heart."

"Wait!" I cried as she began to disappear. "Don't go, Willowfrost! Please! Don't leave me!"

I let out a distraught _mur-row_ but stiffened as her scent drifted into my nose again and I heard her soft voice. "I will always be with you, Silverstream. I watch over you and your father eternally. You are never alone." Then her smell wafted away.

It was then that I woke up. _Follow your heart,_ Willowfrost had told me. But what was my heart telling me to do? I still didn't know; meeting her had alleviated some of my discomfort, but I was still torn. Loyalty or Graystripe? The choice had been so easy a few sunrises ago, but I didn't know now.

"Hey, Silverstream!" Leopardfur came striding into the den. "Isn't it time you went and caught some prey?"

So here it was. The choice I made here would determine my future – one with Graystripe, or one without.

_Follow your heart._ The words echoed softly in my ears. I closed my eyes. And then I knew exactly what to do. Deep inside, I had always known… the instincts had just been cluttered by other emotions, deep and churning.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I padded out to the entrance of the camp. Should I take the path that led to our border with WindClan – or the one to ThunderClan?

_Maybe I'll regret this choice later. Maybe I'll wish I had never gone this way. But I must follow my heart. There's no turning back now._

I was mildly surprised at the calmness that gripped me as I swam through the channel of water that surrounded our camp and pushed through the reeds. I paused again – and headed right.

To meet Graystripe.

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Yes - Silverstream goes off to meet Graystripe, and we all know what happens after that: Fireheart, who's spying on them, is horrified to see his BFF cuddling with a cat from RiverClan. I might delve into more detail about that next chapter, but I probably won't. Next chapter is not going to be the next day, as the previous chapters have been. Chapter 5 will probably come a few days later. The other chapters will also have intervals of time between them larger than a day - maybe even more than a week. If I wrote a chapter on every day Graystripe and Silverstream met, I would be like fifty by the time I finished. And no, I am not fifty years old right now.

I made up Willowfrost, seeing as Silverstream's mother's identity was never really revealed. I also made up the bit about the otters and stuff - but wouldn't that be cool? A Clan of otters? Hmm, I might have to look into that... XD

Next chapter - probably out tomorrow night. Preview will be up a few hours before the actual thing. If you want to catch a peek at the chapter before it's released, I suggest you subscribe to my profile. I will post all previews there. You can read to your heart's desire.

R&R please! :]


	5. Fun in the Sun

As promised, I've uploaded Chapter 5 :). You may be disappointed to learn that it's only around.. 2,500 words, but I upped the romance and humor this time. I suppose it makes up for the dismal length somewhat. My next challenge will be to write a romantic, funny, and lengthy chapter! ... Though I doubt that'll happen.

Thanks reviewers for your kind comments on Chapter 3. Only one person has reviewed Chapter 4 so far, though, so I should probably honor them; **Mo0ngazer**. Thanks, Mo0ngazer! I'll try to make Graystripe funnier for you so he resembles dear Ronny ;].

**Disclaimer:** I'm getting tired of typing this over and over... sigh... I don't own _Warriors_ or the characters in it, as I am not Erin Hunter. From this we shall reason that no copyright infringement is intended.  
(Hey, my other challenge should be to invent new, creative ways of phrasing the disclaimer every time! All right - two challenges that may or may not be completed next chapter. Unfortunately, due to the author's unerring laziness, the latter is the likelier of the two.)

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Graystripe's POV:

"Come on, Graystripe! What are you, a mouse? The water's perfect for a swim today – hop in!"

I stared at the river. Oh, it looked harmless enough now; clear, sparkling, calm. But I knew what it could do, the kind of damage it could deal. And Silverstream's teasing didn't help the fear that was gnawing at my stomach, creeping into the rest of my body and strangling me until I couldn't breathe from the terror. I drew in a shaky breath, trembling from head to toe.

"Graystripe?" Silverstream mewed, her voice suddenly less playful. I forced myself to look up at her. "Graystripe… if you're scared, it's all right. You don't have to swim over if you don't want to."

I didn't reply. Thoughts of drowning in the river were still in my head, blotting out everything. The memory of falling through the ice, of sinking into the water, of not being able to breathe…

Silverstream's sharp mew cut into the dark, ominous haze that was fogging up my thoughts, clouding them until I couldn't think about anything except drowning in the river. "Graystripe! Graystripe, are you all right?"

"I'm f-fine." A sudden fit seized me, and I began coughing violently. "Silverstream – I don't think I can do this. I really don't. I'm too scared of the river to even _look_ at it without becoming afraid. Please just swim over to me."

"I understand," the silver tabby mewed softly. "It's okay. Like I said, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. Not everyone has the skill it takes to swim – I'm fine with it if you don't. After all, ThunderClan cats are more suited to stalking prey in the undergrowth than paddling through the river. I can see you don't want to get your fur wet."

Stung, I flinched back, feeling as though an angry bee had just begun attacking me. "Hey! I'm not afraid to get my fur wet."

The lovely she-cat cast me a skeptical look but didn't say anything. She didn't have to; the disbelief glinting in her eyes was enough to fire me up.

"Well, fine," I snapped, "if you're so good at swimming, why don't you 'paddle through the river' to me and prove it?"

"Prove what?"

"You know – that RiverClan cats are so great!"

Snorting, the silver warrior replied calmly, "I don't need to prove it. I know that RiverClan cats can swim strongly – or at least have the courage to try. I suppose you ThunderClan warriors just aren't cut out for it." She examined her paw casually, though I could see smugness settle in her eyes. She knew she was getting under my fur, all right.

But I was too angry to calm down and realize that the RiverClan she-cat was doing this deliberately. My rational side realized this, of course, being rational, but it was overpowered by the side of me that liked to charge into battle blindly and roaring nonsensical things. It usually was. So I glared at her and retorted, "If you can swim, show me."

Silverstream gave a disdainful sniff. "Show you? Huh – right. I know what you're trying to do, Graystripe: You're trying to get out of a sticky situation the easy way. Well, no way. You have seen me swim before, like that time I… what did I do again? Hmm – ah yes, I saved you from a near-drowning." She smirked again before continuing, "I'm not so sure you can do it, though. I've only seen you in action once, and if I hadn't leaped in, you would have died. So if _you_ don't swim over to _me_, I guess we won't be talking for much longer."

My tail thumped against the ground and I sulked. "That's not fair! You're cheating! Just come over here!"

"Oh no, Graystripe. You come over to me."

"You are coming right now!"

"No, you are."

"No, _you_ are!" My fur was fluffing itself out now as my temper grew ever more brittle.

"Make me." Silverstream was calm as ever, examining her tail with detached interest.

Stumped, I sat down and began to think of ways I could make her swim over. Then in a sudden, unusual stroke of brilliance, I exclaimed, "If you don't come over, I won't give you the prey I caught."

"You didn't catch any," retorted Silverstream. I silently cursed my bad luck as she went on, "I can't smell any fresh-kill."

I glared at her again, fuzzy gray fur fluffing up. "Fine – I'll make you come over!" Without even bothering to think about what I was doing, I flung myself at the tabby warrior, intending to drag her over to me by force – only to remember that there was a river between us. Silverstream began laughing hysterically as I fell into the river, screeching in shock. I thrashed about in the water as I sank like a heavy boulder into the depths of the river.

The water was cool; not as cold as I would have expected but not as comfortable as I would have liked it to be. I flailed wildly around for a heartbeat before wrenching my eyes open. Water instantly began streaming into my tawny eyes, burning them until I forced them shut again, but in the short amount of time where they had been open, I had absorbed my surroundings in detail. The river was a strange blend of blue and green underneath the surface. Colorful stones littered the river-bottom, as did cracked shells and moss. Then suddenly my rational side kicked in again – apparently, when my eyes were observing, my rational side was dominant. Clarity flooded through my thoughts again, a shining ray of light in the darkness of irritation, stupidity, and fear of drowning.

As soon as my logic returned I knew what to do. _Paddle, you mousebrain!_ I pushed my paws up frantically, trying to lift myself through the heavy current of water with my eyes closed. As the heartbeats stretched on and lack of air began to take its toll, my efforts were fueled by desperation rather than common sense. I clawed fiercely through the water, pushing with my hind legs, until at last I felt air smarting against my face.

I took in an enormous mouthful of it, savoring the sweet sensation of breathing. As I stood there for a few more heartbeats, a low _mrrow_ reached my ears and I remembered about Silverstream.

The warrior's eyes were still gleaming with amusement. "That took a while," she chuckled. As I was still too tired from nearly drowning to respond, I had to settle for a pointed sniff as she went on. "You're just lucky today is a lovely day, or you'd be rushing along the river now, already dead. You really _can't_ swim, can you, Graystripe? Maybe I should teach you sometime. You're also lucky that no patrols are out. That yowl of yours would have alerted any cat within several fox-lengths of us, and then where would we be?" Though her mew was scolding, her eyes shone with such mirth and affection that I managed to push my way through the water rather messily until I made it to the RiverClan border. I jumped onto land at once and began shaking as much water from my fur as I could. Several heartbeats later I gave up and lay down beside Silverstream.

"That does it," she murmured as she shifted closer and entwined our tails. "I'm _definitely_ going to have to give you a swimming lesson sometime."

We lounged there for a while, lazily basking in the rays of the sun and enjoying the fine day. Such a bright, warm day was a rarity during leaf-bare, and I intended to enjoy as much of it as I could with my favorite she-cat by my side. It appeared Silverstream felt the same way, for she purred in my ears, "I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing now. Not even eating some fresh-kill for a change."

Being with Silverstream always affected my rationality, but for some reason, my head was perfectly clear right now. I managed to remember what I had seen in the river and connect it with what my beloved was saying. _Hmm…__ I saw rocks, shells, a pretty new color, and I think that's about it._ Something sounded wrong with that statement, but I couldn't figure it out. At last my eyes flashed wide open as I realized – _but no fish!_

"Are RiverClan hungry?" I started out carefully, because I didn't want to go charging in blindly again.

The she-cat shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, I guess," she said after a while, though I could see past her wary façade. "But you know how RiverClan's territory is surrounded by a Twoleg barn? A patrol went out and found mice there. They were scrawny, but at least the warriors have some food in their bellies for, like, the first time in moons. We had to go before the Twolegs caught us, but now we have a source of prey. At least until the Twolegs that are ruining the river leave, that is."

"That's great!" I swiped my tongue over her ears. "So I suppose RiverClan will be well-fed from now on?"

To my disappointment, Silverstream shook her head. "The Twolegs there… they're kind of hostile towards cats. They nearly hit Leopardfur and Blackclaw with rocks as they were running back with their fresh-kill."

I growled. All Twolegs were the same – fox-hearted and selfish. They cared only about their own pelts; they wouldn't give a few mousetails for anyone near them. "That's horrible. But at least you have food now. I suppose all the fish will be coming back soon anyway."

I felt Silverstream tense beside me. "What do you mean, 'all the fish will be coming back soon?'"

This was the awkward moment, and I arranged my words carefully so as not to anger her. "Well, remember when I nearly drowned just a few moments ago?"

A rusty chuckle burst from the RiverClan warrior. I took this as consent to continue. "I opened my eyes and saw pretty rocks and shells lining the ground. The water was a pretty color too. But… I didn't see any fish swimming around."

Silverstream sighed wearily, her unsurprised tone throwing me off-guard. "I hoped that some fish had returned to the river, though I guess I shouldn't have. After all, Mistyfoot told me the same a few sunrises ago – around the time you were eavesdropping on us," she murmured. I felt relief at the half-hearted display of humor; Silverstream was bravely trying to hide her dismay (though failing). At least the teasing showed that she wasn't too gloomy. "Mistyfoot is a warrior – well, queen now, from RiverClan. She's expecting Whiteclaw's kits."

It was my turn to stiffen. I looked away, trying not to reveal the guilt-smeared grief I still felt about the dark tom's "unnecessary death," as Barkface had predicted so many sunrises ago when Fireheart and I were bringing WindClan back.

The silver beauty clearly sensed my distress though, as she pressed closer to me and whispered, "It wasn't your fault. From what you told me, you tried to stop him from falling. It was just an accident."

"I know." I did my best to push away my sorrow and focused instead on what first came to mind. It turned out to be the slight bitterness in Silverstream's tone as she mewed about this Mistyfoot. "You seem sad that Mistyfoot is expecting kits now." I avoided mentioning the father. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, not really," Silverstream mewed, sounding impressed that I had picked up her emotions. "But she's my best friend… and she's moving into the nursery." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't go on patrols with her anymore. She'll be a mother – we might never be close to each other again." I felt a prickle of jealousy at the clear bond between Silverstream and Mistyfoot. "And I'll be stuck with three toms and just one she-cat in the warriors' den. I'm close to none of them, though Loudbelly…" She trailed off at the sudden anger in my eyes.

"He better not go after you," I replied firmly in what I hoped sounded like a teasing meow. "Or I'll claw his ears off and throw him in the gorge. I can't have another tom going after _my_ beautiful she-cat."

Silverstream pressed her muzzle to mine lovingly, and I caught the sparkle of laughter in her large, lovely eyes. "Don't get too jealous just yet. I can take care of myself; don't worry."

I shrugged, doing my best to forget my ill temper. "Oh well – Whiteclaw's Mistyfoot's mate right?" I felt another surge of discomfort at mentioning the RiverClan warrior, but I carried on as normally as I could. "So she might never love another tom again. Then after she gives birth to her kits, she won't be a queen again. Everything can go back to normal between you two."

The cat beside me was quiet for a few heartbeats. "Maybe." Her meow was reserved, and I got the feeling she was hiding something from me. "So how's your relationship with your best friend? Fireheart, right?"

From the carefully neutral tone of her voice, I guessed she still resented him for breaking up the already-minute time we had together everyday. I did too, as a matter of fact. But sometimes I looked for him instinctively to tell him something. I always felt a pang of sadness despite my best efforts to suppress it when I realized he wasn't there.

"I dunno…" I sighed heavily as all my feelings came pouring out in one big jumble. "I've always had Fireheart as my side, since the time I found him as a fat little kittypet exploring the woods. And now that I'm seeing you, well, he disapproves, of course. So we don't talk much anymore."

"I'm so sorry," murmured Silverstream unexpectedly, her breathtaking eyes soft with sympathy. "This is my fault for coming between you two."

I shook my head, shocked; how could she think that? "No, Silverstream. I don't think Fireheart has ever really been in love; how could he know how you make me feel? He's just obeying the warrior code. I know he'll keep us a secret, but… we're just not close anymore. I'm not close to anyone in my Clan anymore. The only cat I feel like I can trust anymore is…" I paused, worrying about how she was taking my little rant. To my relief, Silverstream didn't look bored or like she was just patiently listening. In fact, she seemed to be soaking in every word, her eyes shining in agreement. "… is you, really."

"I guess I should feel luckier," murmured the lovely she-cat. "I still have Mistyfoot somewhat and my father, to a certain extent. And I have you, of course." She nuzzled my neck and I felt warm where she had touched me. "But you have nobody, except for me. And you can't always talk to me."

She sighed and wriggled slightly, as though she were uneasy. "I know how Fireheart feels, though. He's loyal to the warrior code, of course, and his best friend is breaking it by seeing me." I tried to interrupt with a protest that she was worth it, but the silver-furred tabby gently brushed my mouth with her soft tail. "Sometimes I have the same doubts about if we're doing the right thing or not. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's true. Sometimes I worry over whether we should be going behind our leaders' backs this way. Sometimes I wonder if I should put loyalty to our Clans before our love. Sometimes I ask myself: Is Graystripe really worth it?"

My throat tightened, as though I was drowning again, thrusting my way through the water in vain. Was she rejecting me? I tried to talk, but my throat rendered it impossible.

Silverstream must have seen my alarm, for she murmured, "I'm not done yet. Relax before some cat smells your fear-scent." I nodded, doing my best to calm down, but I still couldn't breathe. Was she about to break my heart?

"Anyway, as I was saying, sometimes I ask myself if you're worth it." She paused, gazing at me with gorgeous blue eyes. "And I always end up with the same answer: Yes."

* * *

As I mentioned before, only one person has reviewed Chapter Four. I'm not sure if you guys just didn't like it, or if you didn't have time to review it. But if it's the former of the two, please tell me in a review what you don't like about it, and I'll try to change it to the best of my ability.

I hope that doesn't happen with this chapter. R&R everyone!

Next chapter should be out shortly. Remember: You can catch a sneak peek of the next chapter on my profile a few hours before I upload the real story. Just subscribe to my profile so you get alerted when I add a preview.


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